Immediate — Do Right Now
- Study 20 bestselling covers in your genre and note recurring patterns
- Colour palettes, typography style, imagery type, composition — write them down
- Test your current cover idea at thumbnail size
- Reduce to 80×120px in any image editor — what can you still read?
- Decide whether you need your own ISBNs based on your distribution plans
- Multiple retailers / libraries / bookstores = buy your own ($295 for 10 from Bowker)
- Choose your author name or pen name strategy and check availability across platforms
This Week
- Get quotes from 3 cover designers or browse premade cover sites
- Premadecovers.com, TheBookCoverDesigner.com, Reedsy marketplace
- Research imprint names and check domain availability + social handles
- Understand the copyright registration process and timing requirements
- Register within 3 months of publication for statutory damages protection ($65)
- Create a visual brand mood board for your author identity — covers, colours, fonts
This Month
- Finalise and order your book cover — run through all 4 tests before approving
- Thumbnail, Genre, Clarity, Emotional Response — all must pass
- Purchase ISBNs if needed and assign one to each format
- eBook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook each need a separate ISBN
- File copyright registration within 3 months of your publication date
- Set up your author brand consistently across all platforms
- Author name, bio, photo, imprint — identical wording on KDP, Goodreads, Author Central, website